[Avodah] YT Sheini Shell Golah and the Internet

[rabbirichwolpoe at gmail.com]

> I suggested that the essence of Yom Tov sheini shel galiyos was a
> reminder that qiddush hachodesh ought to be
> al pi re'iyah. Therefore, even with a standardized calendar, we have a
> din derabbanan to preserve the minhag avos established when the calendar
> was in its ideal (if logistically more complex) state.
...
> -Micha

Permit me clarify:

AIUI Micha has given a valid teirutz to the following question
"Given a fixed calendar Why bother with YT sheini?"

But WADR I think my question is new and different

I am saying that if qiddush hachodesh were al pi reiya tomorrow morning,
every YT - except RH itself - would revert to a single day. Why? The new
Beth Din would notify the entire world - password protected if need be -
within seconds.

So as it stands NOW, Qiddush al pi reiya would drop YT sheini universally
- except RH.

So kal vachomer with a fixed calendar this need is obsolete - except RH.

[NB: RH would not necessarily afford time to notify the planet before
the onset of YT with a Qiddush al pi reiya]

For any other qiddush Hachodesh, we are virtually on the very borders
of EY - virtually across the street today. YT sheini is apparently
obsolete not because of the fixed calendar, but because of instantaneous
communication.

Disclaimer: I am not trying to say YT Sheini IS obsolete; rather rhat
we would imho need a better rationale to explain the ongoing Hiyyuv

Zev Sero:
I don't understand the question.  What has that got to do with now,
when we don't have KhChAPhR?  We don't keep YT Sheni now because of
a safek, we keep it because "shalchu mitam" -- the Sanhedrin told us
to keep it.  It's a halacha d'rabbanan, just like chicken and milk.
What difference can it possibly make how far the news could spread,
were there any news *to* spread?  If you're in a place where the
shluchim didn't reach back when there were shluchim, and therefore
"minhag avotechem" was to keep two days, then the Sanhedrin ordered
that you keep two days; whether a 2nd day will be kept there in the
3rd BHMK times is irrelevant.

"What difference can it possibly make how far the news could spread,
were there any news *to* spread?"

All the difference in the world! Literally! Our minhag avos is highly
suspect considering that we don't live in Baghdad or Iraq! Having moved,
the whole idea of living in a maqqom that shluchim were not magia
is suspect.

Now granted - It could be that the minhag avos is the sole reason for
continuing this observance - but I don't think it is a slam dunk and
this answer needs more work. The Sanhedrin that issued that answer was
dealing with a far different realia - and it is reasonable to see that
the inability of shluchim to reach certain places was axiomatic to the
Taqqana- Gzeira

Shana Tova
RRW
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